Forrest of Arcanum
by FortuneFaded2012
Summary: Beside the great Sea of Spera and the Forrest of Arcanum is the kingdom of the accomplished King Isaac. After the death of his wife, the king is often fighting in distant wars leaving his two young daughters to the care of his court. Princess Katniss desires to be a huntress rather than royalty. But when the ultimate betrayal occurs she finds her life taking a perilous turn.


**A/N: This is an prologue for a story that will be told solely in the first person perspective of Katniss.**

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The great Sea of Spera stretches farther than any man's eye can see. Each day the sun sets on its horizon drenching the shore-line in a golden hue. The sight of the land in the dying light is breathtaking and it is during such a sunset that the kingdom's most precious daughter is born.

For on the shores of the sea, rising from the depths of the cliff, there is a fortress of great magnitude ruled by an accomplished king. Revered for his fairness and great strength in battle, King Isaac ruled his kingdom justly. His Queen, Olivia, was considered the fairest in the land. Her skin was a creamier white than any other woman in the castle's court. Her hair was softer than the finest gold thread and her blue eyes were jeweled beacons. Yet, it was not for her beauty that the king loved her, because she too was revered by the people. She was envied for her kindness and intellect. It is said that she was one of the king's greatest assets during times of great decision and strife.

King Isaac and Queen Olivia ruled the country for a number of years before they were blessed with their first child. During that May day the King was caught in the Forrest of Arcanum. Stranded alone without food or water, the King traveled through the Forrest looking for sustenance. He thought of his wife and the small baby that he was told already lay beside her in their bedchamber. The infant would not be named until the King made his way home and he scoffed at himself for putting delay to his wife and child.

Just when the King was becoming increasingly angered by his stupidity for losing himself in the trees, he came upon a small pond with water tubers to eat. The King knelt beside the water and dredged up the edible plant that's flowered stalk skimmed the surface. As the King ate the Katniss roots he thought of his small child, surely receiving her first meal from her mother's breast. He smiled to himself as he imagined what the face of his daughter must look like, for he was told only of her dark hair that shown like the wings of a raven.

The King filled his stomach with the tubers before he set out to find the correct trail again. Now the King was no fool lost in the dark trees, he was rather a very skilled woodsmen. So when he heard the song of a mockingjay he gladly sang a lively tune for the bird in hopes that it would lead him home. And that it did, straight to the edge of the forrest it flew and the King laughed as he saw it's black wings fluttering ahead of him.

Many a woodsmen found himself lost in the very same portion of woods, so the King tried to maintain his dignity as he followed his feathered friend. He thought to himself that he would name his sweet daughter after the faithful swallow. With his mind set, the King walked across the wide field that led to his fortress, whistling a tune as he went. When the King entered his bedchamber he immediately went to his wife's side and kissed her pale smiling face. Bundled in her arms was their daughter. When the king beheld her small round face his heart leapt in his chest.

It was the same feeling that had pinched him when he discovered nourishment. So the King decided to name his daughter Katniss after the plant that had saved him. Young Katniss was a precious child, lively and with attributes from both her parents. She would sing with her father by the fireplace at night and play in the courtyard with her friends all throughout the day. The King always called her Little Mockingjay and she was dearer to him than anything he had ever created before. Yet, the King and his wife wanted multiple children, so they tried again hoping for a son.

As the sun set on the tenth day of June four years later the king's fair wife gave birth to his second daughter, an even fairer child with hair spun from the gold threads of the sunset. Though she was not the son he had hoped for, the King was overjoyed that he could witness the birth. Tearful laughter and smiles were had by all. Then the infant was bundled tightly and placed in the King's capable arms. The occasion was joyous, yet as the light of the day began to wane beyond the horizon the king noticed that the light was also disappearing from his dear wife's eyes.

"Olivia? Love can you hear me?" The king's voice rang desperate throughout his bedchamber as he clutched his wife's face between his shaking palms.

Beside the bed his elder daughter watched terrified as the midwife frantically worked to get a pulse from the Queen. The young girl's long straight raven hair was braided back from her face. Her small fist gripped the end of the braid as one of her mother's maids finally forced the ashen-faced child from the room. The next few moments were the most important of Katniss' life. For in those few moments she became forever bound to care for her younger sister in her mother's stead, because the Queen slid into death's waiting arms as if she were merely going to sleep.

Nothing was ever the same again.


End file.
